The ethics of polyvocal ethnography: empowering vs. textualizing children and teachers

Polyvocal approaches allow researchers and informants to interact on a more equal footing and informants’ voices to be heard in the final text. But research methods intended to empower informants also can be a source of unanticipated authorial power ‐ the power to confront informants with unsolicited self‐reflections and to textualize people's lives and words. The authors reflect on those ethical dilemmas in this article.     

Comment on Dissociation between running economy and running performance in elite Kenyan distance runners

Mooses and colleagues suggest that running economy alone does not explain superior distance running performance in elite Kenyan runners. Whilst we agree with the multi-factorial hypothesis for Kenyan running success, we do not believe that running economy can be overlooked to the extent that it was based on this particular study. Based on the methods used and the range of athletes tested, in this response letter we question whether this study provides any basis for downplaying the influence of running economy or suggesting that other factors compensate for it to enable superior performance.     

Perceptual-cognitive expertise of handball coaches in their young and middle adult years

There is little research investigating the maintenance of perceptual-cognitive expertise in general and even less comparing coaches of different ages. The aim of this study was to test for perceptual-cognitive differences between age groups, licence levels, and their interaction. This study investigated differences in skilled performance between young and middle-aged coaches of three different skill levels. Participants performed an accuracy-oriented pattern recall (mean distance in pixel) and a time-oriented flicker test (mean detection time in ms). There were some significant differences between age groups and between skill groups for both tests, but no interactions. For the pattern recall test, the effect sizes were larger for skill level differences, while for the flicker test effects were larger for ageing. These results suggest coaches are able to maintain accuracy skills better than reaction timed tasks. This is in line with findings on speeded performance in general populations, which show declines with age. Moreover, results also support findings on perceptual expertise in skills where accuracy was important.     

Will Obama's My Brother's Keeper and Similar Initiatives Have a Positive Impact on Low-Income Students?

Barack Obama's My Brother's Keeper is designed to narrow persistent gaps that boys and young men of color confront often and to help all young people achieve their potential in college and career. An important part of this initiative is comprehensive mentoring that supports students in schools and in communities. Because ethnic-minority students have extremely low graduation rates in high school and college, an essential question is addressed: Can My Brother's Keeper and similar initiatives with a mentoring component be effective in helping minority students to achieve success in elementary and secondary schools and in college?